Time
by broken-Angel-requiem-Soul
Summary: Sequel to Hinata's Birthday. Time is running out for Sasuke, will he be able to out the meaning of the troubling words given to him by his mother? And when he does which side will he stay on? Love or Power?
1. Prologue

Hey guys sorry for the long wait; I planned for it to be out by the end of June -ducks and hides from tomatoes- but I had already wrote a version, but my computer had a virus and therefore it had to go to the shop and the version was deleted. This story wont have those short chapters it did in the original

disclaimer: I do not own Naruto™ or any of the characters

**Prologue:**

Sasuke was walking down the street four years has past and things were the same. And his birthday, passed a few days ago which meant... you guessed it... another birthday party from his "girlfriend" - well former now. And after every one was over he had his mind determined on scolding her for doing yet _another_ birthday party for him; yet he cannot bring himself to do when he sees her face.

_**... Do not turn your back...**_

Four years has past and yet he is no closer in solving what his mother gave him. And every time he would think about, he would get a mental picture of Hinata on the floor... dead; the blood just spilling out of her...

It gets worse, he sees himself standing over her with a sword covered with a wet, crimson colored liquid, dripping into the already red pool of blood on the floor. Once every week he would dream it; the picture getting clearer every time... The smell of her blood filling his nostrils like a intoxicating poison... The weird thing is he is beginning to_ enjoy_ the smell.

_**... Do not look away...**_

Sometimes it would get to the point that he couldn't sleep anymore; for like a month he went with out sleep and had dark rings under his eye lids, and his skin getting paler. His old team meats, of course, were worried, but he was able to get them off his back by a little white lie... but lying to his girlfriend, that proved to be difficult.

Instead of telling her he avoided her and he made a careless mistake of going to a training area she uses...

"_Sasuke?"_

_The Uchiha immediately look up at his name being called and almost regretted it with when he saw who it was... Hinata and she was slowly making her way towards him._

"_Sasuke... d-did I do something wrong? I-I mean you've been avoiding me for a while..." she said quietly when she was an inch-and -a-half from her boyfriend._

_Sasuke wanted to break down then and there, when he saw her beautiful face filled with concern, worry, and some hints of fear..._

_...But why would she fear him?..._

_... She's his girlfriend there's nothing to fear! Right?..._

_... She loves you, doesn't she?..._

"_Hinata...-" Sasuke whispered barley enough for her to hear even at their distance_

"_You want to break up with me, don't you?" Hinata couldn't take it anymore the tears that have been burning behind her eyes finally let out_

"_Wha- What?! Why would I want to do that?! I mean I-" he stammered at her actuation, and it made him feel guiltier when he saw tears come down her eyes. _

"_Sasuke! You've been avoiding me... and every time we're in seeing distance you leave without a second thought!... A-Am I doing something wrong?" Hinata said as she walked towards her boyfriend, and grabbed his shirt when he was close enough_

"_I mean I talked to Ino and Sakura about this and they agreed that somethings going on. You even talked to your old team meats and you never said anything to me!.. I had to hear it from Sakura!... Do you really think that I am this worthless that you can't even talk to me? That... That I'm not good enough to be your girlfriend? Were you just doing this to get some sick pleasure at causing me pain?" Hinata whispered as she strengthen the grip on his shirt and lowered her head on his chest._

_Sasuke didn't say anything, but his arms naturally went around the petite woman waist. He felt it. He felt warmth wash over his body but it was short lived, as the girl pulled herself out of his grip and backed up so she could see into his eyes and stay a good distance from his hands. Her eyes were cold when she said,_

"_I dealt with emotional pain for years and I don't wont to relive it." she said as her eyes harden_

"_Especially when I can stop it from getting any deeper," then she said the three words Sasuke never wanted her to say,_

"_Sasuke it's over!" she jumped onto a tree branch before he could say anything and started jumping away from him._

_He didn't go after her..._

_He just let her run..._

_His 'light' that kept him from insanity just blew out..._

He hasn't spoken to her since then – heck some of his friends didn't talk to him. One of course was Sakura, she has given up on him after he and Hinata started dating; although she jealous at first her, but she and Hinata became good friends. But after how his relationship with Hinata ended she wont even cast him a glance, and barley gives him a 'hi'.

_**... So you can see with your eyes wide open...**_

Just when he thought things couldn't get worse Neji had to show up and have a 'talk' with him. And by talk I meant Neji pulling Sasuke into a deserted area and fight him. Neji was winning of course because Sasuke didn't even fight back: he just stood there taking his punishment.

While Neji was telling him how Hinata has changed: she no longer smiles; doesn't have that cheerful glint in her eye, in fact her eyes are void of any emotion that could rival her father's glare; even her voice held no happiness and gave off no indications that she had ever experienced it or any other emotion that has a kinship with happiness.

Sasuke still has bruises on his body from that "fight" - well if you would call that a fight. But how would your body react when it is faced with something it has never dealt with before?... Not saying that he didn't train with Hinata, he did. It's just that her speed needed to be increased in order to keep up with him, and when she did hit him there wasn't a lot of chakra in it. But most importantly she didn't come at him with the intent to kill.

_**... That you don't need them in your life...**_

Perhaps the break up was a good thing. What kind of shinobi would he be if he let emotions control him? He still has to kill his brother and he isn't getting any closer by letting his love for Hinata blind him from what he must do.

In a way he has returned to his old self. Maybe he should let the darkness in, it will give him more power. The seal from Orochimaru is still there, even if Kakashi-sensei put up that seal; Sasuke broke it before and he can brake it again.

But where did the Sannin go? After his fight with Naruto he was exhausted and was limping away when Kakashi came and easily knocked him out. Although he was put under surveillance, was questioned, and disbanded from his team for a while, he didn't receive punishment. But ever since then things how been quiet and he heard some of the Jounin saying that Orochimaru had just vanish.

What else can he stay in Konoha for? Is there anything left for him that keeps him there? And at late nights he wonder's how his life would have been if he did go to the snake Sannin. Surly he would be saved from this anguish he felt at losing something precess to him. The same hole opened, the one he had when his parents and his clan died. But as the old saying goes: 'It is better to have loved and lost, then to never have loved at all.' had him contemplating about was the brake-up really wroth it, to relive those feeling?

Maybe this was a good decision after all... He stood up with a renewal determination in finding out what his mother meant:

"_Beware of the one who hides... for he lies in darkness..."_

...And after he does he'll be able to see the pros and cons in each and make a decision in whether he will stay or go... Why stay in a place that wonts nothing to do with you?

**O o O in a lair**

"Sir! We have confirmed that subject, Uchiha Sasuke, has broken up with one Hyuuga Hinata."

"Good." came it raspy, sick reply "Soon we will a lethal weapon on our side... and it all begins with the death of Hyuuga Hinata."

"Sir, shall I send Htaed to take care of-"

"No, as it happened in his dreams it will happen in reality! Let his hate do the job."

---

oh Htaed is just Death spelled backwards – don't ask me why, i was kinda stuck with picking out a name for the assassin.

Any ideas or if you wont to do a collaboration on this piece just ask.


	2. Feelings

Sorry, I dont know about ya'll but I hated this chapter. So I'm redoing it; hope this one is better. Anyway thanx to **_Koqueta_** who reviewed the last version.

disclaimer: I do not own Naruto™ or any of the characters

**Fellings:**

Hinata woke up for the fifty-est time that night. The brake-up with Sasuke was hitting her harder than she expected. Did she do something wrong? Was she really so ugly that the village heartthrob took it upon his shoulders to make her self-esteem worse?

It took everything to stop Neji when he wanted to "ask" Sasuke what he did wrong; but in the end it was useless, Neji got to Sasuke while Hinata was on a mission.

'_Neji'_ Hinata thought. She was happy that he and Ten Ten were going out, even though it sadden her that her relationship with Sasuke didn't go so well.

Hinata was shocked to say the least when all her friends came to console her; especially Sakura. Never in her life (or the afterlife) would she think that Sakura would help her move on, she would've thought that Sakura would yell at her for doing that to her 'Sasuke-kun' then run away to be at his side or jump to his defense. She even noticed the way Sakura barly said 'hi' to Sasuke when he walks by, and had even told her that she was glad that she didn't fall for him.

She couldn't believe the feelings she'd developed for him; that after the three year plus, she might actually say she loves him... But now he'll never know that. Yet after all of that was said and done Hinata couldn't get rid of that nagging felling that someone was watching her; one time she woke up with her byakugan activated.

_Maybe its Sasuke thats stalking me?_ Hinata's inner voice asked

_'No... Why would he do that?'_

_For you_

_'M-Me?'_

_Yes... after all you were the one who broke his heart._

_'Heart? What do you mean, he doesn't have a heart.'_

_Are you so sure of that? Up to the time that of the brake-up did he do anything violent - well at least to you?_

_'No. B-But...'_

_Is this how you chose to handle the lost of the one you love?_

_'L-L-Love? I-I don't know w-what you're talking about. H-He's an a-anathema to me.'_

_You do. Don't be afraid, tell him; you'll work something out._

_'What... W-What if I don't how?'_

_Trust your heart._

_'Wait who a-are you?'_

_...I'm you._

That was the end of their conservation and Hinata know that she had lost to her the other voice.

_'But how do I know that you are me?'_

She got no reply.

Now Hinata let out a muffled scream. Out of all the times in her life in which she met fear, this was the worst she ever felt. If she cannot feel safe within her own mind where else would she be? If you cannot trust yourself than you can **_never_** trust anyone else.

_'Am I going crazy?' _she asked herself

_'Are these the signs that my sanity is dying out?'_

"No. Hinata your just over doing it, thats all. Calm down, calm down."

"Nee-chan," Hinata turned to the source and found Hanabi looking worriedly at her.

"Hai?"

"Do you mind if I stay with you tonight?" Hanabi asked quietly as she her body came through the Shoji door.

"Iie; I don't mind." Hinata smiled softly. Hanabi had gotten a habit of coming in to make sure that her sister was alright.

_'No!'_ Hinata thought assured as her sister made for her bed, _'I'm not crazy, its just the stress.'_ and with that thought she dozed off with her sister crammed next to her. But it seemed that not even her sister being there made her feel any better. In fact it made her wrose if something came in she wouldn't want her sister to die because the thing wanted her. Besides her physical state, her emotional state is wavering too, and not even her dreams made her feel happy...

_'Run!' that was the only thought in her brain. She had to run; but who or _what_ is she running away from? Her clothes tron and her hair was cut to just below her neck; obvisously she didn't do it, her ends were jagged. She was passed her limit, but she was used to it, what would a ninja be if they didn't go over their limit? How else would they learn to adapt and grow stronger?_

_With a pained cry she fell onto her knees, panting. She tremebled. She cried. She felt _weak _- No she is **weak**. A glance around and she knew she was in her village, but it looks so deserted; I mean even at night the villagers had lamps out to help those passing by. Suddenly she felt a presence behind and her body went stiff._

_...Power..._

_...Hate..._

_...Loathe..._

_...Determindation..._

_...Darkness..._

_..and.._

_...Coldness..._

_ All of these emotion radiated from the presence behind her but what really widen Hinata's eyes was that she remembered that kind of coldness, back from her academy days and it came from one person..._

_"S-Sasuke..." she managed to squeak. Slowly - ever so slowly - she turned around and was blinded by dark-purplish charka; it was so powerful that it obscurbed her vision of he face. She was certainly sure it was a male, if anything else, the body frame of the person, and it didn't have rounded hips which all females have. The clothes were firm on the persons body so she knew it wasn't because of the clothes being loose._

_"Sasuke?" she repeated._

_No response. Instead he reached a hand behing its back and grabbed a hilt of something strapped to his back. The kounchi on the ground paled as she just _now_ noticed that was a sword - and a big one at that. And the small, dark chuckle did nothing to make her feel better. He grasped the sword with both his hands and he looked perpared to strike. He brought the sword down and he hesitated to cut her._

_The sword fell with a 'clink' and the person dropped to his knees and hands steadily at his head. The dark charka fading. Hinata being Hinata softly put a hand on his shouder, only to feel him tense up because she didn't want him that ... what did she wanted him to know? She was ninja she should fight back or run away and in the back of her mind she can hear her fahter snarl at her in displeasure._

_ From his position he jumped back with the sword in his hand, he let out a scream as the charka surrounded him; more fiercely this time. Booth hands gripped he ready himself and swung down at her..._

_Was this it._

_No. Even as his screms became more pained he stopped, again. He missed his window of opprotunity; again. Suddenly his scraming stopped and she looked up to see her cousin, Neji had attacked him from behind and he said something, but she didn't understand. Slowly the screnery faded out into blakness, six words lingered in her head:_

_Save him before he kills you..._

"Onee-chan! Onee-chan!"

"Hmm? H-Hanabi?"

"Hai; nee-chan you were having a nightmare. You were shaking and crying." at those words she remember she had to save him, but who was him?

"Oh, nee-chan, a maid said that the Hokage wanted to see you."

"When?"

"In two hours."

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I hope this one was better, anyway cant wait for the chapter wait 2 ya see who she is going with!


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